This DVD collection of concert performances, originally taken from the cable program Cinemax Sessions, actually dates back to 1989. While every artist represented here is no doubt a certified rock, blues or soul legend, they were all well past their respective artistic primes during the taping of these particular musical sequences. So on an energy level scale, at least, you may want to liken it to a baseball old-timer’s game, although it’s not quite that sedate.

So if you’re keeping score, to continue our baseball game analogy, each performer gets two swings at two signature songs (Jerry Lee Lewis is blessed with three plate appearances, though, while Little Richard gets only one at bat), and everybody participates in the grand finale. Taped in Rome, Italy, this DVD adds up to a communal celebration of some of the greatest rock, soul and blues classics of all time.

First in the batter’s box is James Brown, who -- after his usual
lengthy introduction -- finally hits the stage wearing a shiny silver
and blue jumpsuit. During his stage time, Mr. Brown sticks with two of
his dance favorites. The first is “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag,” and the
second is “I Feel Good (I Got You).” Although this particular clip
doesn’t even hold a candle to the Godfather’s far-superior ‘60s footage
-- when the gruff singer was still young, thin and amazingly agile --
it nevertheless offers a powerful reminder of this man’s great
entertainment skills. After he’s done sweating buckets (and singing),
Brown introduces the next act, Bo Diddley.

Wearing that trademark black hat and holding his signature square
shaped guitar, Diddley appears ageless. Perhaps his more youthful
appearance has something to do with the fact that he’s not expected (as
Brown is) to reprise any awe-inspiring dance moves. On stage, while
remaining relatively stationary, Diddley works up his infectious beat
for the self-named “Bo Diddley,” then goes for the straight blues of
“I’m A Man.” Amazingly, his sound is just as ageless as is his
appearance. Nobody does Bo better than Bo.

Next is the late Ray Charles, who opens with the piano-pounding “Mess
Around.” Charles is probably best known for his amazing voice,
primarily because he could turn even a patriotic standard like “God
Bless America” into a soul workout. This makes his rhythmic performance
of “Mess Around” here so much fun, as it presents Charles’ instrumental
prowess in all its ebony/ivory glory. He follows this up with “I’m a
Fool For You,” which is the first ballad moment on this DVD. Like
almost everything else Charles touched, it’s a thing of great emotional
beauty. It’s hard to watch this, though, with the knowledge that he so
recently passed on. But, as they say, the music will always live with
us.

Little Richard follows Charles with a still potent burst of “Great Gosh
A’Mighty.” Richard may be a frail little old man now – if you’ve
happened to see one of his recent shows, I’m sure you’ll understand
what I mean -- but even in the ‘80s, he was still able to rock out with
the best of ‘em. Wearing a leather jacket and sweating before he even
gets started (he and James Brown could easily irrigate many small towns
with their sweat flow alone), the man with the thin moustache and big
toothy grin still gets a lot of valuable mileage out of this pioneering
rock song. Richard, who apparently has trouble staying seated too very
long while he’s performing, walks across the stage just before he’s
finished entertaining and throws out one of his blue boots into this
wildly dancing crowd. While that audience member won one lucky
surprise, Little Richard’s performance was by far the greatest souvenir
of all.

“Are you ready?” Richard baits the crowd, before the classily dressed
Jerry Lee Lewis hits the stage for a propulsive charge-through of “The
Wild One (Real Wild Child).” Backed by a band featuring a four-man horn
section, with a little help from retro rock guitarist Dave Edmunds,
Lewis is shown here doing what he does best. He retains an amazingly
stoic face as he rips off impossibly fast piano riffs, yet once in a
while, he breaks into a few sheepish grins. The consummate showman,
Lewis kicks at the keys with his foot, and slams down the key cover
every now and again. But it was his groundbreaking playing and singing
– not merely his showmanship -- that originally helped create the
foundations for rock ‘n’ roll. Believe it or not, it all sounds fairly
wild – even today. Lewis also performs “Great Balls Of Fire” and “Whole
Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” It’s simply impossible, after reliving the
excitement of Lewis live, to imagine rock history without his explosive
and reckless rock abandon.

Dressed in an outlandishly pink suit jacket, Fats Domino completes this
evening’s quartet of piano rockers by revving it up for “I’m Ready,”
than slowing it down for “Blueberry Hill.” Although Domino has not
received the same kind of publicity heaped upon the other
keyboard-oriented artists on this bill – let alone the big Hollywood
biopic treatment in Lewis’ case -- this man (with enough hand jewelry
to make modern rappers green with envy over his bling-bling) bangs on
the ivories like a champ. Unlike the stone-faced Lewis, however, Domino
has a childlike smile on his face the whole darn time he’s playing.

B.B. King takes the stage last, wearing a silver-colored suit and
standing next to Edmunds. He keeps the party spirit alive with “Let The
Good Times Roll,” and then cries a little with “How Blue Can You Get?”
It’s a brief moment in the presence of true music royalty.

This show’s final performance begins gradually, with everybody
wandering back on stage to exchange smiles and hugs, as Edmunds and
King play the guitar blues. It’s a crowded stage, with only two pianos
on it, so Domino and Charles sit at the keys while Richard and Lewis
get a rare chance to stand and sing into microphones. It’s an extended
untitled blues jam, which gives everybody a chance to shout out a few
verses before sending the crowd home happy.

While there’s no faulting the performances on this disc, the viewer may
still feel a little cheated that there aren’t any extra features.
Certainly, there must have been some fascinating conversations going on
when these legends got together this night. Also, one wonders if there
were any artistic rivalries exposed. The artists may have been grinning
big up there on stage in front of that adoring audience and those
cameras, but one has to doubt that it was all one big happy family, all
the time. One certainly has to suspect that those competitive juices
are still flowing. Nobody ever becomes a legendary rock star with a
small ego.

Secondly, it would have been interesting to learn how the producers put
this particular package together. For instance, how difficult was it to
get these road warriors on the same stage, at the same time?
Additionally, what kind of a thrill was it for Edmunds to play with
some of his heroes? Even a little background about the Cinemax Sessions
series might have helped. The potential for fascinating sidebars is
endless, but nothing at all along these lines is ever explored with
this DVD. This sin of omission adds up to a wasted opportunity.

It’s easy to play armchair quarterback and list the various “what if”
factors missed by this production. But it’s impossible to criticize the
actual rock solid music included here. If you’re still a little fuzzy
on your rock ‘n’ roll history and you want to have a look at a few of
the genre’s essential innovators doing their thing, this DVD gives you
a wonderful sampling of rock music roots at its best. It’s a rare
instance where the term “legend’ is not applied loosely.